Interesting Questions-134
On being a soldier
Letter to the Editor:
PASUGO, May 2001, p.2
AS A JEHOVAH'S Witness, I have always believed in
what was taught to us that joining the military and becoming a
soldier is against the will of God. Soldiers fight and kill their
enemies. If you really uphold the teachings of the
Bible, shouldn't you also prohibit your members from joining
the military since the duty of a soldier violates the teachings of
God and of Christ that say "You shall not kill" and "Love your
enemies"?
Roger Bayliss
Glendale. California, USA
Editor's reply:
Joining the military service is not
against the will of God. In fact, the first nation of
God, Israel,
had armed soldiers who were ready for the battle (Jos. 4:12-13).
12 And the men of Reuben, the men of
Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the
children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.
13 About forty thousand prepared for war
crossed over before the
Lord
for battle, to the plains of Jericho.
(Jos. 4:12-13, NKJV)
These soldiers were described by the
Bible as “mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could
handle shield and spear” (I Chron. 12:8, New King James Version).
8 Some
Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the
wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could
handle shield and spear, whose faces
were like the
faces of lions, and were
as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
(I Chron. 12:8, NKJV)
At
that period, God’s commandment, “You shall not kill” was already in
effect.
But, why then did Israel have an army? Some of the
reasons were for them to defend themselves against their enemies and
to protect the leaders of God’s nation, as with the case of
David—“…there he [David] was joined by many experienced, reliable
soldiers” (I Chron. 12:1, Today’s English Version).
The Bible also records that there were
soldiers who asked John the Baptist, “And what shall we do?” To
their question, john replied:
“Do not intimidate anyone or accuse
falsely, and be content with your wages.” (Lk. 3:14, NKJV)
John the Baptist did not instruct the
soldiers to leave their duty. Rather, he gave them instructions to
follow. Indeed, being a soldier isn’t against God’s teachings.
When our Lord Jesus Christ commanded,
“Love your enemies,” He spoke in the context of Christians being
persecuted by nonbelievers and not in the context of soldiers
fighting in a war or battle (Mt.
5:44).
44 But I say to
you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those
who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and
persecute you,
(Mt.
5:44, NKJV)
Thus, becoming a soldier or joining the
military has never been violation of the teachings of God and of
Christ.
___________________
Note: Some cited verses are
printed in full to facilitate study.
Bible Study
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please visit www.iglesianicristoworshipservice.com or just click
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